Abstract

The two-component quorum sensing (QS) system, first described in the marine bacterium Vibrio harveyi and evolutionarily conserved among members of the genus Vibrio, has been best studied in the human pathogen Vibrio cholerae (1, 2). In the V. cholerae QS system, the response to the accumulation of extracellular autoinducers triggers a signaling cascade resulting in the transcription of four small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs). Our results support the model that the QS sRNAs bind to the 5′ untranslated region of multiple mRNAs and alter the fate of one in a positive manner and several others in a negative manner. This mechanism ensures the proper timing of the QS response, which includes the expression of traits critical for virulence and for the formation of biofilms (2–6).

Key words

Springer Nature is developing a new tool to find and evaluate Protocols. Learn more

Notes

Acknowledgment

This material is based upon the work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0919821. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.